FLORENCE
At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the centre of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 24.1 North, longitude 47.9 West. Florence is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h). A turn toward the west-northwest with a decrease in forward speed is expected
later today, followed by a turn toward the west by the weekend.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts. Florence is a category 3 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional weakening is forecast today, but Florence is expected to remain a strong hurricane for the next several days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles
(150 km).
1. A broad area of low pressure is centred a few miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Shower and thunderstorm activity associated
with this low has changed little in organisation over the past few hours and recent satellite data indicate that a well-defined centre
has not yet formed. However, environmental conditions still appear to be conducive for development and a tropical depression is expected to form within the next few days while the system moves toward the west or west-northwest across the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent.
2. A tropical wave is forecast to move off the west coast of Africa on Friday. Some development of this system is anticipated after that time, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend or early next week while the wave moves westward over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…medium…50 percent.